NLC - 2024 Season

[Plymouthfan91]

Just heard a rumor that the Warsaw QB is out for the game tomorrow.  Is there any truth to it.

[US31]

2 hours ago, Plymouthfan91 said:

Just heard a rumor that the Warsaw QB is out for the game tomorrow.  Is there any truth to it.

You still try to peak at your Christmas presents too….dont ya?🤣

(I kid)

[00NWP]

Honest question in regard to a quarterback in a misdirection offense ( I know nothing of what happens in a practice with said type of offense).  When a starting quarterback (such as possibly Warsaw) is out...I would assume in most cases QB2 is the JV quarterback who runs the same offense with a different group of guys...but basically the same plays.  Other than their ability to throw the ball...does it really make a difference?  As long as they know the plays...the QB's and WR's seem irrelevant to an offensive scheme.  And I understand the QB often keeps the ball and WR's block.

[Slick John Picanos]

Slick John here, taking a quick break from my limousine lifestyle to provide a little insight at the half-way point of the NLC season.  We may even have some weather games tonight with rain/wind in the forecast!

 

Concord (3-0)- Impressive wins so far from this group.  Dirty secret, though, is that they have given up the 3rd most points in the conference.  This could be an achilles heel moving forward.  However, on the other side of the ball, their offensive line seems to be really coming together.  It is looking more and more like the investment into building the new weight room/program 3 years ago is paying off. 

 

Mishawaka (2-1)- Have scored the most points in the conference by a long shot.  Something to be said about that.  Big time Northwood fans this evening. Has been quite impressive seeing their resilience through losing a couple key pieces to the transfer portal early in the summer.  

 

Northwood (2-1)- Still in the title hunt with Concord coming to town this week.  I foresee the Panthers playing extremely well on their home field this evening- matching that up with Concord being set-up for a let down, not much has to happen for Northwood to win this game.  

 

Plymouth (2-1)- Eye-opening/surprise start of the season.  We will see how much it holds.  On the positive side, it at least looks like Plymouth is excited about football again.  Whatever happens these last 4 weeks is still something to build on for the future.   

 

Warsaw (2-1)- Another Northwood fan this evening.  Warsaw lost an instant classic last week and I'm sure "Bart's Boys" will let Plymouth know they practiced hard this week.  Plymouth, I think, keeps it a little closer than the spread (-28.5), even to the point of people being surprised at half time with a close score if the weather is an issue.  

 

Northridge (1-2)- I have heard rumblings of Northridge faithful referring to themselves as the "best 1-4 team in the state."  Is there going to be a banner hung up for that?  Keep in mind, Ben Davis is also 1-4, btw.  Hey, every week is a new week, with Mishawaka coming to town, maybe best 1-5 team in the state will be on the table!

 

Goshen (0-3), Wawasee (0-3)- Obviously, weve hit the down slope of the parabola here, gentlemen.  An interesting game nonetheless in the battle of new coaches!  Almost a title game of sorts!  Add in some bad weather and we could be in for a heck of a show. 

 

 

[aceswild]

3 hours ago, Slick John Picanos said:

Slick John here, taking a quick break from my limousine lifestyle to provide a little insight at the half-way point of the NLC season.  We may even have some weather games tonight with rain/wind in the forecast!

 

Concord (3-0)- Impressive wins so far from this group.  Dirty secret, though, is that they have given up the 3rd most points in the conference.  This could be an achilles heel moving forward.  However, on the other side of the ball, their offensive line seems to be really coming together.  It is looking more and more like the investment into building the new weight room/program 3 years ago is paying off. 

 

Mishawaka (2-1)- Have scored the most points in the conference by a long shot.  Something to be said about that.  Big time Northwood fans this evening. Has been quite impressive seeing their resilience through losing a couple key pieces to the transfer portal early in the summer.  

 

Northwood (2-1)- Still in the title hunt with Concord coming to town this week.  I foresee the Panthers playing extremely well on their home field this evening- matching that up with Concord being set-up for a let down, not much has to happen for Northwood to win this game.  

 

Plymouth (2-1)- Eye-opening/surprise start of the season.  We will see how much it holds.  On the positive side, it at least looks like Plymouth is excited about football again.  Whatever happens these last 4 weeks is still something to build on for the future.   

 

Warsaw (2-1)- Another Northwood fan this evening.  Warsaw lost an instant classic last week and I'm sure "Bart's Boys" will let Plymouth know they practiced hard this week.  Plymouth, I think, keeps it a little closer than the spread (-28.5), even to the point of people being surprised at half time with a close score if the weather is an issue.  

 

Northridge (1-2)- I have heard rumblings of Northridge faithful referring to themselves as the "best 1-4 team in the state."  Is there going to be a banner hung up for that?  Keep in mind, Ben Davis is also 1-4, btw.  Hey, every week is a new week, with Mishawaka coming to town, maybe best 1-5 team in the state will be on the table!

 

Goshen (0-3), Wawasee (0-3)- Obviously, weve hit the down slope of the parabola here, gentlemen.  An interesting game nonetheless in the battle of new coaches!  Almost a title game of sorts!  Add in some bad weather and we could be in for a heck of a show. 

 

 

@Slick John Picanos it's been waaay too long since you've posted! Always a "must read"!

[Crusty]

9 hours ago, 00NWP said:

Honest question in regard to a quarterback in a misdirection offense ( I know nothing of what happens in a practice with said type of offense).  When a starting quarterback (such as possibly Warsaw) is out...I would assume in most cases QB2 is the JV quarterback who runs the same offense with a different group of guys...but basically the same plays.  Other than their ability to throw the ball...does it really make a difference?  As long as they know the plays...the QB's and WR's seem irrelevant to an offensive scheme.  And I understand the QB often keeps the ball and WR's block.

Huge difference in running option plays as far as experience goes. 

[Yuccaguy]

Plymouth over Warsaw??  

Any information on this one?

[Fairfield 02]

An Outsider's NLC Power Rankings after week 6:

1. Concord 

2. Mishawaka 

3. Northwood 

4. Warsaw

5. Northridge

6. Plymouth 

7. Wawasee

8. Goshen

[npcougar15]

Why is no one talking about this kicker from Northwood? hit a 60 yarder a few weeks ago. Hit a 62 yarder yesterday for an IHSAA record and had about 8 yards to spare. If this kid lines up for a 70 yard field goal, there is a chance he makes it. Crazy. NFL record is 66 yards, both field goals would have been good from that distance. 

[Coach Lou]

Great win for Plymouth. Looks like the new coach has them rolling.

Not surprised Wawasee won, but surprised by how much.

Elkhart vs. Penn this week for the lead in the NIC. Both have lost to NLC Teams.

 

Edited September 30, 2024 by Coach Lou

[00NWP]

Some interesting things happened last Friday....Plymouth...HUGE.  I have not seen Plymouth play this year, however, I don't think I am the only person who thought it may have been a running clock.  This may be the season Plymouth needs to get people excited for football down in Plymouth again.  NorthWood lost to Concord...however, that kicker...If the colts had him suited up yesterday, the Steelers could have wiped their tears with those terrible towels.  Also, in regard to NW's' offense...kuddos to the receiver playing quarterback and the linebacker playing running back.  I can't remember a time with NW where there were so many injuries to key people....at the same time.  With that said, NW played Concord pretty well...with their starters...it may have been an upset.  Concord has some SIZE. Concord will win out the season and be crowned the solo NLC champs...Bravo to them!

On to this Friday:

Goshen at Concord: Not a whole lot to say here...kind of a broken record with anyone playing Goshen.  I see a running clock.  Concord 49 Goshen 7

Mishawaka at Warsaw: Who will run that offense better...whos quarterback will make a couple of completions.  This game could be a coin toss...but I am taking the home team by a very close score.  Side note...I almost always take Warsaw at home in close games because...other schools need to learn from Warsaw...hands down...the best concessions in the conference.  Warsaw 17 Mishawaka 14

NorthWood at Plymouth: I would have said NW with a running clock at the beginning of the year...I am not so sure this week.  I have no idea who will be playing offense this week for NW.  I am sure they will have something figured out by Friday. Plymouth coming off probably its biggest win in a long long time is riding a high.  I think Plymouth will keep it close, however, ill still take NW.  NW 23 Plymouth 14

Wawasee at Northridge: I don't remember the last time NR started the season 1-5.  They and NW have been towards the top for so long.  But it happens to every school.  NR needs this game.  Wawasee...you got your first win last week...bravo...but now its back to reality.  NR 28 Wawasee 7

[NLCTigerFan07]

On 9/27/2024 at 11:01 PM, Yuccaguy said:

Plymouth over Warsaw??  

Any information on this one?

Warsaw's starting QB was out of the game, and the Tigers suffered 5 fumbles on offense. That is taking nothing away from how well Plymouth played, but no team will win when they have that many turnovers.

As well - Coach Curtis admitted as much in his post-game interview - I have no idea why Warsaw went for 2 points when they scored to take the lead with 2:45 left in the game. They were up 25-17, and an extra point would have made it a two possesion game. Instead, because Plymouth blocked two extra points earlier in the game, the Tigers went for 2 and did not get it.

Ramirez is a heck of a QB for Plymouth and I think a 3 year starter. Congrats to the Rockies (they've earned to be called that by me now for at least a year).

[Yuccaguy]

Just saw the game via SportsMichiana ... looking forward to the 3rd consecutive game they will broadcast.

Exciting!

[swordfish]

On 9/30/2024 at 10:26 AM, 00NWP said:

Wawasee at Northridge: I don't remember the last time NR started the season 1-5.  They and NW have been towards the top for so long.  But it happens to every school.  NR needs this game.  Wawasee...you got your first win last week...bravo...but now its back to reality.  NR 28 Wawasee 7

SF remembers.....The Kirkton years and almost every season prior.....NR competed well and dominated in nearly every sport except for football......

SF out - Back to lurking the depths......

[Coach Lou]

Saw the stats for the Goshen vs. Wawasee game. Wawasee Defense held Goshen to a total of 31 yards of offense.

[Plymouthfan91]

20 hours ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Warsaw's starting QB was out of the game, and the Tigers suffered 5 fumbles on offense. That is taking nothing away from how well Plymouth played, but no team will win when they have that many turnovers.

As well - Coach Curtis admitted as much in his post-game interview - I have no idea why Warsaw went for 2 points when they scored to take the lead with 2:45 left in the game. They were up 25-17, and an extra point would have made it a two possesion game. Instead, because Plymouth blocked two extra points earlier in the game, the Tigers went for 2 and did not get it.

Ramirez is a heck of a QB for Plymouth and I think a 3 year starter. Congrats to the Rockies (they've earned to be called that by me now for at least a year).

I wasn't at the game but watched it live on the IHSAA network.  But I feel that Plymouth was a more confident team.  I also felt that Plymouth was the better coached team.  Warsaw made way too many simple mistakes that you wouldn't expect from a team who was ranked earlier in the season.  Plus the fact that Plymouth really didn't have to pass until the end shows that the Warsaw didn't adjust nor could they stop the Plymouth ground game.  

It was a great win for us but now we have to build on it and not make this the highlight of our season.  Warsaw on the other hand has to figure some things out so this doesn't continue to be a downward slide.

[kabookieman2007]

My thoughts this week

Goshen vs Concord- Could be ugliest loss of the year, could be closer than anyone expects. I havent seen Goshen play but the scores and Sagarin ratings say alot. Concord has had opportunities to win games by much larger margins a few times this year (Northridge and Mishawaka) but collapsed at the end. On the other hand I may have never seen a team come out so flat as they did against Warsaw. If Concord plays a full 4 quarters they are tough to beat, but they have almost beaten themselves several time.  But also it cant be denied that Concord has won and I think its safe to say when your on top you get every teams best shot. Concord 49 Goshen 21 

Mishawaka vs Warsaw- Game of the week on paper but a snooze to watch. Dive, vere, counter, sweep, option, repeat. 2 very very similar teams, I personally think Mishawaka has the edge having seen both play Concord, I look for Mishawaka to win a close one. With that said if Warsaw turns the ball over like they did last week they risk getting blown out of the water!!! Mishawaka 13 Warsaw 10 Game is over by 8:30.

Northwood vs Plymouth Could be a very interesting game, If Northwood is healthy they could give a Plymouth team that 2 weeks ago was fighting with Wawasee and Goshen at the bottom of the barrel. Not sure on the injury situation for Northwood at QB but they put up a heck of a fight last week against Concord and Plymouth with a stunner even if helped by a few turnovers. Ive heard good things about the Plymouth QB and I loved the heart Northwood plays with, this one is tough. Northwood 31 Plymouth 24

Wawasee vs Northridge Haven't seen Wawasee play, but Northridge has a real possibility of closing the season out 4-5, Warsaw is the only team that might give them trouble and this is a great time to start building confidence and momentum for sectionals. Wawasee 7 Northridge 42

 

[Slick John Picanos]

Aceswild- ask and you shall receive!  Here we are with another exciting week of NLC gridiron action.  Let's preview some games while I have some time here between daliances!

 

Mishawaka @ Warsaw- Most meaningful game of the evening in regards to hopes of being able to catch Concord for the NLC title race (at least between 2 preseason contenders).  Similar styles offensively, but I think that Mishawaka's skill positions are more explosive than Warsaw's.  My curiousity stems around the mindset of Warsaw's response to last weekend's loss.  Mishawaka has won the last two in this matchup.  If you would have said 3 weeks ago that Warsaw could be below .500 in October, there would have been some money to be won.  

Northwood @ Plymouth- Coming off a HUGE moral victory last week (and covering the spread according to Coach Andrews), Northwood finds itself in a game they probably didn't view as important 3 weeks ago.  They are another team facing a chance to dip below .500 in the month of October.  On another note- Plymouth hasn't beaten Northwood since 2014 when John Barron was stalking the sidelines with crusted dip spit in the corners of his mouth! (Nate Andrews' first season BTW).     

Wawasee (1-5) @ Northridge (1-5)- You all know what this battle is for.  To be fair, Northridge, according to Sagarin ratings are indeed the highest rated 1-5 team in 4A.  This edges out the other contenders: Muncie Central, Fort Wayne South, "On A Winning Streak" Wawasee, Shelbyville, Evansville Central, Bedford North Lawrence, Highland, Charlestown, East Chicago.  However, a win for Northridge puts them into the 2-5 category which gets teams that are currently 2-4 involved such as FW Dwenger and Pendelton Heights!  Lots to pay attention to on this first Friday in October!  Good luck to all involved!   

Ben Davis (1-5) @ Carmel- See above. 

Goshen @ Concord: See meme below: 

Good luck to all!  Stay/get healthy and we will see you down the home stretch!!!

[FinePrint]

Plymouth!  Wow!

[Fairfield 02]

An Outsider's NLC Power Rankings after Week 7:

1. Concord

2. Mishawaka Tie

2. Warsaw Tie

4. Plymouth 

5. Northwood 

6. Northridge 

7. Wawasee 

8. Goshen 

[First_Backer_Inside]

Bad time to be on the Rockies schedule right now, they are rolling! Any chance they take down Mishawaka next?

[00NWP]

This coming Fridays thoughts:

Concord at Wawasee: There isn't a lot to say about this game. Concord will roll through the next two weeks on to a unshared conference championship.  This will be a running clock.  Concord 49 Wawasee 7

Northridge at Goshen: Northridge should win this game with no issues.  Its been a tough year for Goshen's first year head coach.  Northridge 35 Goshen 14

Plymouth at Mishawaka: Plymouth comes back down to reality this week.  After watching them play a beat up NW team...I am saying Mishawaka will handle them with ease.  Mishawaka 31 Plymouth 14

Warsaw at NorthWood: I don't know if any of NorthWood's quarterbacks or running backs will be back for this game.  I would say at this point, let them rest the remainder of the year and get healthier for the playoffs.  With a fully healthy team, NorthWood hasn't shown the ability to stop a misdirection offense this year, and that wont change Friday. Warsaw is a total of 5 points away from being the conference champs...and I still believe from top to bottom they are the best team in the conference.  NorthWood will stick around for about a quarter followed by Warsaw running away with this game.  The highlight of this game may be watching the kickers from both teams.  Warsaw 45 NW 17

Edited October 8, 2024 by 00NWP

[Plymouthfan91]

On 10/7/2024 at 7:55 AM, First_Backer_Inside said:

Bad time to be on the Rockies schedule right now, they are rolling! Any chance they take down Mishawaka next?

The last two weeks those on this site have downplayed the Rockies.  These boys will come out and punch you in the mouth.  They can run the ball and dare you to make them pass.  Which they can do.  Ask Warsaw.  Their defense is stout and they really haven't been tested with a passing game since Columbia City so I feel confident in saying they have a good shot at winning the game.  These last two games will be great tests and show if we are ready to compete for a sectional title.  Until they prove me wrong I am taking the Rockies.

[Plymouthfan91]

On a side note I have a question about MaxPreps.  Does the IHSAA mandate that stats are put into MaxPreps?  Some schools do it and some don't.  

[00NWP]

I take nothing away from Plymouth winning the last two weeks...bravo to them...and I really do like the direction the entire program from high school to middle school is headed.  I think they have a really bright future.  With that said...If I were betting on the ponies...Warsaw is the better team...9 out of 10 times they win that game.  They shot themselves in the foot.  In regard to NW...If NW would have had a healthy quarterback or running back...they win that game.  They lost by 4...running the exact same 2 plays on repeat with a wide receiver as a quarterback...and a linebacker as a running back...NW is the better team with a healthy team.